At 3 p.m., technicians working on a wind farm observed smoke rising from a wind turbine nacelle. They alerted the operator, which shut down the entire farm. The electricity network administrator shut off the HV network. Smoke was visible and[...]
Accidents caused by incompatible mixtures are not limited to newly-produced chemicals! The end of their life cycle can also be a source of risk. Several recent events in France and abroad confirm this, sometimes with dramatic consequences. This flash focusses[...]
Mobile acetylene cylinders are present in all sectors of activity owing to their common use on welding machines. Even if they look like risk free, these cylinders are real hazard potential ! Five major accidents in France since the beginning of[...]
At 9:20 a.m., the temperature inside a 4000-l reactor used to manufacture an organomagnesium compound at a chemical plant abruptly rose. At 9:30 a.m., the employees in the shop began flooding the reaction medium with water. As a precaution, the internal emergency[...]
At around 3:15 p.m., vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) was released from a basic-plastics manufacturing plant. At around 2:50 p.m., the emergency diesel generators started up to power the safety and I&C systems after the plant's mains electricity supply shut off and the[...]
In a metallurgical plant, 2 explosions occurred at 9:30 p.m. followed by a fire in a melting furnace containing 5 t of titanium. The technician on duty was alerted by deviations in control parameters: fusion was stopped by the safety barriers 20[...]
Despite being produced 200 times less than sulphuric acid (1 M vs. 200 M tonnes/year), the ARIA database has recorded nearly 80 accidents involving hydrofluoric acid (HF) (vs. 220 for H2SO4). A series of recent accidents serves to recall its[...]
Transfer of chemicals between fixed and mobile tanks may cause mixtures of incompatible products. This risk is all the more pernicious as the mixture usually involves "classic" substances and widely used: bleach, acid ... This fact sheet presents some lessons[...]
This summary report was established based on information collected from 557 French accidents (251 cases) or foreign accidents (306 cases) which took place between January 1917 and May 2003 and which are recorded in the ARIA database. This document should[...]
This study foccuses on accidents associated with ammonia and refrigeration.
